Teaching children how to read an analogue clock can be quite difficult because of the different motions of the minute and hour hands during a 12-hour cycle. The present invention hopes to make the job of teaching this movement easier by separating the two different movements of the hour and minute hand, and then bringing them together again.
According to the present invention a teaching device adapted to teach the reading of an analogue clock face comprises first and second components one of which is transparent, one of said components being marked to represent a clock face displaying minutes and on which a minute clock hand can be manually rotated and the other of said components being marked to represent a clock face displaying hours and on which an hour clock hand can be manually rotated, and means for removably connecting said first and second components together with said minute and hour clock face superimposed one above the other to display a complete analogue clock face showing hours and minutes and having hour and minute hands.
The first component can be transparent and have a clock face displaying hours or alternatively the second component can be transparent and have a clock face displaying minutes.
In a preferred construction each of said first and second components carries its respective clock face on a face surface of a supporting wall, said supporting walls being spaced apart from each other with said face surfaces facing each other when the first and second components are removably connected together.
Said hour and minute hands can be located on said respective clock faces and said means for manual operation thereof can be arranged on the surfaces of said supporting walls which face away from each other.
In a preferred construction said first and second components are shaped to form a casing when connected together with the clock faces and respective hour and minute hands within the casing and the means for manual operation of the hour and minute hands outside the casing.
The means for removably connecting the first and second component together can act to prevent relative rotation and ensure that they are correctly located.
The clock face displaying hours and the hour hand can be of a different colour from the clock face displaying minutes and the minute hand.
Additionally the face showing the minutes can be marked to indicate xe2x80x9ctoxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cpastxe2x80x9d the hour. Thus it can be divided into halves along a line extending between the numerals thirty and sixty. It can be defined by areas of colour. If desired the xe2x80x9ctoxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cpastxe2x80x9d the hour can be indicated by arrows.
The invention can be of any reasonable size but is preferably constructed so as to fit into a pocket.